ADDRESS 


THE    M  A-  S  S  A  C  H  U  S  E  T  T  S    SOCIETY 


PROMOTING     AGRICULTURE, 


BY  HBNRY  A.  S.  DKARBORN. 


ADDRESS 


DELIVERED  BEFORE 


THE    MASSACHUSETTS    SOCIETY 


PROMOTING  AGRICULTURE, 


AT   BRIGHTON, 


OCT.  H,  1835. 


BY  HBNRY  A.  S.  DKARBORN. 


BOSTON: 

N.  E.  FARMER  OFFICE  — GEO.  C.  BARRETT. 
1835. 

six 


TOTTLE      AKD     WEEKS,      PRINTERS. 


miVERsiry  of  c/^ufo 

SANTA  BARBARA 


At  a  meeting  of  the  Massachusetts  Society  for  promoting  Agriculture, 
held  at  Brighton,  Oct.  14,  1835, 
On  motion  of  Mr  Heard,  it  was  — 

Voted,  That  the  thanks  of  the  Society  be  presented  to  Gen.  H.  A.  S. 
Dearborn,  for  the  able,  appropriate,  and  eloquent  address  this  day  deliv- 
ered by  him,  and  that  he  be  requested  to  furnish  a  copy  thereof  for  pub- 
lication. 

Voted,  That  Mr  Heard  and  Mr  Guild  be  a  committee,  to  communicate 
the  above  vote  to  Gen.  Dearborn. 

A  copy  of  the  record.  BENJ.  GUILD, 

Rec.  Sec.  of  the  M.  S.for  P.  A. 


Boston,  Oct.  16,  1835. 
To  Gen.  H.  A.  S.  Dearborb  — 

Dear  Sir —  It  is  with  great  pleasure,  we  have  the  honor  to  communi- 
cate to  you,  the  above  vote,  and  solicit  your  compliance  with  the  request 
of  the  Society.  With  assurances  of  great  esteem, 

and  respectfully  yours, 
JOHN  HEARD, 


.  Com,. 
BENJ.  GUILD. 


::} 


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ADDRESS. 


Gentlemen  of  the  Society  and  Fellow  Citizens  : 

The  first  act  of  the  Almighty,  after  "  the  dry  land  appeared," 
was  the  creation  of  a  plant,  and  sowing  its  seed,  that  of  savage 
man,  in  his  progress  of  civilization  ;  and  the  earliest  achievement 
in  the  industrious  arts  was  the  construction  of  a  plough.    Whether 
we  refer  to  the  mythology  of  antiquity,  or  the  authentic  records 
of  historians,  agriculture  has  been  the  harbinger  of  the  highest 
state  of  moral  and  intellectual  improvement,  which  has  ever  been 
reached  in  any   age  or   climate.      Those  pursuits  which  were 
commenced  merely  for  the  purpose  of  furnishing  the  necessaries 
of  life,  and  were  long  held  in  degraded  estimation,  have  ultimately 
claimed  an  elevated  rank  among  all  nations,  at  the  most  glorious 
period  of  their   existence.     No  matter  how   various  may   have 
been  the  character  of  once  barbarous  tribes,  or  how  dissimilar 
their  countries,  habits  and   customs,  still  they  have  all  followed 
the  same  route,   in  the  career  of  refinement ;  and   those   which 
have  become  most  celebrated   for   exalted  attainments  in  litera- 
ture, science  and  the  arts,  have  also  been  equally  distinguished 
for  their  superior  skill  in  the  cultivation  of  the  earth.     Not  only 
the  rich  valleys  and  plains  were  converted  into  luxuriant  fields 
and  splendid  gardens,  but  the  rugged  mountain,  arid  desert  and 
stagnant  morass  successively  yielded  to  the  labors  of  tillage,  and 
magnificently  harmonized  witii  the   developements  of  mind,  the 
sumptuousness  of  wealth,  and  the  embellishments  of  taste. 

The  vicissitudes  to  which  nations  have  been  subjected,  form 
memorable  eras  in  the  history  of  agriculture.  In  the  primitive 
ages,  it  was  limited  in  the  objects  embraced  within  its  attention. 


and  confined  to  the  simplest  operations  of  the  husbandman.  At 
times  it  has  nearly  ceased  to  exist  throughout  the  globe  ;  and 
even  when  carried  to  the  highest  practical  point  of  perfection  in 
one  region,  it  has  been  unknown  elsewhere,  while  it  has  again 
fallen  into  desuetude,  after  having  been  for  centuries  the  general 
occupation  of  the  people,  the  greatest  source  of  private  affluence, 
and  the  chief  cause  of  national  prosperity.  As  a  science  and  an 
art,  it  has  not  only  been  intimately  connected  with  the  condition 
of  man  in  all  his  social  relations,  but  is  blended  with  the  won- 
drous history  of  his  creation,  and  the  revelations  of  his  religion. 

After  the  expulsion,  the  first  wants  of  the  progenitors  of  the 
human  race  were  food  and  clothing,  and  the  duty  of  providing 
them  devolved  upon  their  sons — the  one  becoming  "  a  keeper 
of  sheep,"  and  the  other  "  a  tiller  of  the  ground."  But  there 
was  this  remarkable  limitation  in  the  sentence  for  disobedience, 
as  to  the  application  of  the  products  of  their  industry  —  those 
of  vegetation  only  being  allowed  as  food  :  "  Thou  shalt  eat  the 
herb  of  the  field,  till  thou  return  unto  the  ground."  This 
interdiction  continued  during  the  antediluvian  cycle ;  but  after 
the  flood,  all  animals  were  formally  delivered  over  to  the  surviv- 
ing patriarch,  with  this  beneficent  declaration  :  "  Every  moving 
thing  that  liveth  shall  be  meat  for  you.  Even  as  the  green  herb, 
have  I  now  given  you  all  things." 

Notwithstanding  the  precedence  which  the  cultivation  of  the 
earth  necessarily  claimed  anterior  to  this  momentous  epoch,  still, 
for  many  generations  the  descendants  of  Noah  lived  a  pastoral 
life,  and  were  nomade  in  their  habits,  although  on  receiving  the 
sceptre  of  the  earth,  "  he  began  to  be  a  husbandman,"  and  one 
of  his  first  acts  was  "  to  plant  a  vineyard." 

Advancing  from  the  mountainous  regions  of  Ararat,  into  the 
fertile  and  sunny  vales  of  the  Euphrates,  the  acquisition  of  large 
flocks  and  herds,  with  wide  ranges  of  pasturage,  induced  a  less 
laborious  mode  of  subsistence  than  must  have  been  indispensable 
under  the  austere  conditions,  which  the  primeval  inhabitants 
w.ere  permitted  to  live.  These  wandering  habits  were  continued 
throughout  Chaldea  and  Canaan,  down  to  the  patriarchal  ages 
of  Isaac  and  Jacob,  and  still  prevail  in  the  East,  among  the 
Arab  and  Tartar  shepherds  of  the  present  day.  Like  the  off- 
spring of  Jabel.they  "  dwell  in  tents,"  and  seek,  as  of  old,  foun- 


tains  of  water,  in  the  palm  groves  of  the  plains,  and  the  refresh- 
ing streams  of  shaded  valleys,  as  temporary  places  of  encampment. 

It  is  a  singular  fact,  that  bread  is  not  mentioned  as  an  article 
of  food,  until  it  was  offered  by  Abraham  to  the  angels,  who 
appeared  to  him  as  "  he  sat  in  the  tent  door,  in  the  heat  of  the 
day  ;"  showing  it  was  the  most  rare  and  precious  gift  which 
could  be  presented.  So  late  even  as  that  period,  the  wealth  of 
individuals  consisted  chiefly  in  flocks  and  herds;  and  the  most 
affluent  had  no  fixed  or  permanent  residence,  but  were  obliged 
to  roam  over  the  country,  as  a  large  extent  of  territory  was 
required  for  the  maintenance  of  comparatively  a  small  popula- 
tion, when  the  cultivation  of  the  soil  was  so  little  relied  upon 
for  support.  Even  when  Abram  and  Lot  removed  to  the  fertile 
borders  of  Palestine,  it  was  found  that  "  the  land  was  not  able 
to  bear  them,  that  they  might  dwell  together;  for  their  subsis- 
tence was  great,"  as  each  had  vast  numbers  of  "  sheep,  and 
oxen,  and  men  servants,  and  maid  servants,  and  camels  ;"  so 
that  these  distinguished  and  long  associated  friends  were  obliged 
to  separate  from  each  other,  —  Lot  choosing  "  all  the  plain  of 
Jordan,  that  was  well  watered,  even  as  the  garden  of  the  Lord," 
while  "  Abram  removed  his  tent  to  the  plain  of  Mamre." 

Thus  after  a  lapse  of  more  than  a  thousand  years,  the  Hebrew 
race  appears  to  have  made  but  little  progress  in  the  arts  of  civ- 
ilization, and  exhibits  only  the  migratory  herdsman,  and  the 
incipient  efforts  of  the  agriculturist.  So  precarious,  even  were 
their  means  of  subsistence,  that  their  most  renowned  chieftains 
were  compelled  "  to  go  down  into  Egypt  and  dwell  there, 
because  there  was  a  grievous  famine  in  the  land." 

Egypt !  now  for  the  first  time  mentioned  by  the  sacred  his- 
torian. What  vivid  reminiscences  does  that  name  call  up. 
Egypt !  the  birthplace  of  science,  the  cradle  of  the  arts,  the 
v.onder  of  antiquity,  the  paragon  of  nations.  A  country  and  a 
peoplo  which  have  been  su'  j  cts  of  the  deepest  interest, 
uud  the  most  exciting  inquiry,  irora  the  time  of  Joseph  to  the 
travels  of  Herodotus,  and  from  the  visit  of  Diodorus,  to  the 
learned  researches  of  ChampoUion.  At  the  talismanic  name  of 
Egypt,  the  ponderous  gates  of  all  past  time  are  thrown  open, 
and  how  fresh,  clear,  and  palpable  does  the  whole  history  of  the 
world  unfold  before  us.     For  a  long   succession  of  ages,  it  was 


8 

the  focus  of  knowledge,  and  at  the  same  time  the  centre  of  that 
intellectual  radiance,  which  lighted  onward  the  nations  of  the 
earth,  in  their  march  from  barbarism  to  refinement.  There 
were  nurtured  the  vast  tribes  of  Israel, — there  were  they 
trained  to  fulfil  the  high  destinies  which  awaited  their  mirac- 
ulous Exedus.  From  thence  went  forth  that  wonderful  nation, 
—  those  chosen  people  of  God,  whose  present  existence, 
whose  language,  faith,  and  identity  of  character,  is  a  perpetual 
.testimony  of  the  prophets,  and  of  the  truth  of  those  revelations, 
which  constitute  the  religion  we  profess. 

Egypt !  who  can  hear  that  word  without  being  excited  ?  It 
seems  to  embrace  the  entirety  of  the  past.  What  throngs  of 
ideas,  —  what  multitudes  of  events,  rush  upon  the  memory, — 
what  mustering  conceptions  does  the  aroused  imagination 
embody  forth  !  The  gorgeous  courts  of  the  Pharaohs,  the  con- 
quests of  Sesostris,  the  disastrous  invasion  of  Cambyses,  the 
triumphal  march  of  Alexander,  the  splendid  reigns  of  the  Ptol- 
emys,  Pompey's  tragic  death,  the  victories  of  Caesar,  the  fate  of 
Mark  Anthony,  the  devastations  of  the  Saracens,  the  Ottoman 
subjugation,  and  the  battles  of  Napoleon,  all  pass  in  rapid 
review,  like  the  magic  pageantry  of  an  illuminated  scene. 

It  was  on  the  banks  of  the  Nile,  that  the  moral  powers  of 
man  were  first  and  most  successfully  developed.  There  were 
laid  the  deep  and  broad  foundations  of  an  empire,  which  sur- 
passed all  others  in  the  extent  of  its  power,  in  the  range  of 
commercial  enterprise,  in  the  number  and  grandeur  of  its  cities, 
the  magnitude  and  elegance  of  its  palaces  and  triumphal  mon- 
uments,—  in  wealth,  intelligence  and  the  arts,  —  in  all  that 
reflects  glory  on  a  people  and  gives  eternal  lustre  to  nations. 
There,  too,  was  established  the  dominion  of  Agriculture  ;  there 
she  commenced  her  reign ;  and  yet  how  long  was  that  mighty 
kingdom  wrapt  in  obscurity,  until  revealed,  in  the  ever-inter- 
esting and  instructive  tale  of  that  adventurous  shepherd  boy,  — 
Israel's  darling  son.  Then,  indeed,  does  it  burst  forth  with 
imposing  magnificence,  and  the  holy  annals  are  filled  with  its 
importance,  and  the  gigantic  influence  which  it  possessed  over 
all  the  nations  of  the  East.  Subsequently  we  are  very  exactly 
instructed,  by  both  Greek  and  Roman  authors,  as  to  its  vast 
agricultural   resources  ;    and  the  accurate  delineations   on  the 


still  existing  tombs  of  the  kings,  confirm  their  glowing  accounts 
of  the  importance  in  which  the  cultivation  of  the  earth  was  held, 
as  well  as  the  perfection  to  which  it  had  attained,  from  the  well 
tilled  field  of  the  husbandman,  to  those  superb  gardens,  which 
embellished  the  princely  establishments  in  the  environs  of 
Thebes,  Memphis,  and  Heliopolis. 

By  a  long  matured  theory  and  practical  system  of  culture, 
every  foot  of  land  was  reclaimed,  from  the  bordering  deserts, 
which  the  fertilizing  waters  of  the  Nile  could  be  made  to 
irrigate.  Thus  the  luxuriant  valley  of  that  majestic  river,  in  the 
totality  of  its  lengthened  course,  was  covered  with  the  rich 
and  various  products  of  rural  industry,  and  not  only  furnished 
the  whole  subsistence  of  a  numerous  native  population,  but  was 
rendered  for  centuries  the  garden  and  granary  of  the  world. 

From  Egypt,  civilization  gradually  extended  along  the  shores 
of  the  Mediterranean,  the  Archipelago,  and  Euxine  ;  and  Phoe- 
nicia, Judea,  Greece,  Carthage  and  Rome,  with  their  numerous 
colonies,  became  each  distinguished  for  their  progress  in  intel- 
lectual attainments,  and  whatever  tends  to  give  dignity  to  man, 
or  glory  to  an  empire.  There,  were  cultivated  in  a  pre-em- 
inent manner,  the  useful  and  ornamental  arts,  and  none  claimed 
more  attention,  or  were  carried  to  greater  perfection,  than  those 
connected  with  the  tillage  of  the  earth.  In  the  march  of  their 
victorious  armies,  letters  and  their  ever  constant  and  insepa- 
rable companion,  agriculture,  were  extended  over  northern 
Africa,  and  through  Asia  Minor,  Spain,  Gaul  and  Germany  to 
the  distant  Isles  of  Britain. 

In  each  of  those  nations,  the  cultivation  of  the  earth  was  the 
most  honorable  of  all  pursuits.  The  Egyptians  were  so  fully 
sensible  of  its  importance,  that  its  introduction  was  ascribed  to 
the  God  of  their  idolatry;  and  the  Greeks  and  Romans  dedi- 
cated temples,  and  erected  statues  to  the  numerous  divinities  of 
their  mythology,  who  presided  over  its  various  departments.  As 
early  as  thp  time  of  Homer,  Hesiod,  and  subsequently  Xeno- 
phon,  with  many  of  his  emment  countrymen,  wrote  on  rural 
affairs.  The  Carthagenians,  in  the  palmy  days  of  their  prosper- 
ity and  glory,  considered  the  occupation  of  a  husbandman,  not 
less  meritorious  than  the  profession  of  arms,  exalted  as  was 
the  estimation  in  which  that  was  held,  by  the  warlike  country- 
2 


10 

men  of  Harailcar  and  Hannibal.  They  were  so  much  more 
distinguished  than  any  other  contemporaneous  nation,  in  the 
science  and  practical  operations  of  tillage,  that  a  voluminous 
work  by  Mago,  one  of  their  most  celebrated  generals,  was  so 
highly  appreciated,  by  their  haughty  and  implacable  enemies, 
that  it  was  translated, -for  the  benefit  of  the  people,  by  an  express 
decree  of  the  Roman  Senate. 

As  to  the  value  placed  on  Agriculture  by  the  Romans,  we 
have  the  fullest  evidence.  It  was  encouraged  by  liberal  dona- 
tions of  land,  elevated  by  the  sanctions  of  religion,  and  rendered 
not  merely  a  meritorious  pursuit,  but  an  object  of  the  first 
consideration,  by  the  most  wealthy  and  illustrious  citizens.  In 
their  conquests,  if  not  always  more  magnanimous  than  most 
other  nations,  they  never  lost  sight  of  the  grand  object  for 
which  their  invasions  were  projected,  —  the  augmentation  of 
the  resources,  and  prospective  aggrandizement  of  the  empire. 
Instead,  therefore,  of  desolating,  they  endeavored  to  improve  the 
countries  which  they  subdued,  and  were  solicitous  to  civilize 
the  inhabitants  by  the  introduction  of  letters,  with  the  useful  and 
ornamental  arts.  Cato  derived  as  much  honor  from  his  writings 
on  husbandry,  as  by  his  eloquence  in  the  Senate  house,  his 
victories  in  the  field,  or  his  lofty  patriotism  at  Utica.  Cincin- 
natus  was  twice  called  from  his  plough,  to  the  dignified  offices 
of  Consul  and  Dictator.  Virgil  acquired  as  much  fame  for  his 
poems  on  rural  economy,  as  by  his  epic  on  the  adventures  of  the 
Ilian  prince.  Pliny,  the  LinufEus  of  antiquity,  was  as  ambitious 
to  obtain  the  honors  which  were  lavishly  bestowed  on  the 
cultivators  of  the  soil,  as  the  distinction  of  pro-consul  in  Spain. 
Varro,  the  intimate  friend  of  Cicero,  and  who  had  the  reputation 
of  being  one  of  the  greatest  philosophers,  and  the  most  learned 
man  of  Rome,  has  his  name  perpetuated  by  a  treatise  on  rustic 
affairs,  being  one  only  of  his  five  hundred  writings  which  have 
come  down  to  us.  Columella  was  the  agricultural  Cyclopediast 
of  the  Claudian  age,  and  his  great  work,  in  which  he  treats  on 
all  the  branches  of  agriculture  and  gardening,  is  still  extant. 

Simultaneous  with  the  advancement  of  the  arts  of  civilization 
in  the  West,  —  if  not  at  an  earlier  period,  —  there  was  a  like 
movement  in  the  East,  by  which  they  were  extended  over  Pal- 
estine, Persia,  Media,  and  the  populous  valleys  of  the  Indus  and 


•  11 

Ganges,  and  probably  to  the  ocean  bounds  of  China ;  and  con- 
siderable portions  of  that  immense  region  had  become  eminent 
for  improvements  in  tillage,  anterior  to  the  expedition  of  the 
Macedonian  conqueror. 

But  all  those  once  powerful  kingdoms  of  antiquity  were  des- 
tined to  experience  a  tremendous  reverse  of  fortune.  By  slow 
advances,  each  had  reached  the  loftiest  point  of  national  gran- 
deur, from  whence  their  decadence  was  rapid  and  irremediable. 
Neither  wisdom,  numbers,  wealth  or  valor  could  arrest  their  dis- 
astrous fate  ;  and  they  were  successively,  either  subjugated  or 
impoverished  by  some  ambitious  chieftain  of  a  rival  power,  or  over- 
whelmed by  those  tribes  of  barbarians,  which  in  all  ages  have 
come  down  like  a  furious  tempest  from  the  northern  wilds  of 
Asia  and  Europe,  spreading  fire,  slaughter  and  devastation  in 
their  terrific  course.  The  whole  human  race  was  thus  thrown 
back  into  such  a  degraded  condition,  that  the  moral  firmament 
was  obscured  like  a  perpetual  night,  by  the  dark  and  lurid  clouds 
of  ignorance,  superstition  and  wretchedness.  Entire  nations  were 
so  thoroughly  exterminated,  or  so  blended  in  the  population  of 
their  savage  conquerors,  as  to  have  lost  their  distinctiveness  of 
character.  Egyptians  and  Carthagenians  have  disappeared  from 
the  earth,  leaving  no  traces  of  their  existence,  but  in  the  stupen- 
dous ruins  of  their  cities,  pyramids,  temples,  aqueducts  and  tombs ; 
and  even  the  inscriptions  on  those  of  the  former  are  now  unin- 
telligible, while  not  a  single  book,  or  page  of  the  language  —  no, 
not  so  much  as  the  alphabet  of  the  other  has  survived  —  so  com- 
plete has  been  the  work  of  destruction.  Had  it  not  been  for 
the  sacred  volume  of  the  Jews,  and  a  kw  of  the  Greek  and  Ro- 
man authors,  which  have  reached  us,  the  history  of  the  world, 
from  the  creation,  to  the  revival  of  letters,  would  have  been  as 
unknown  as  that  of  the  American  continent,  before  the  voyage 
of  Columbus.  By  his  transcendent  genius,  a  way  was  opened 
over  the  ocean  to  this  western  hemisphere,  and  by  the  aid  of 
those  precious  repositories  of  learning,  an  arch  has  been  thrown 
across  that  immense  gulf  of  oblivion,  which  separated  the  far  dis- 
tant past  from  the  present. 

Amidst  the  universal  gloom,  which  so  long  enveloped  the  earth, 
a  few  but  widely  separated  beacon-lights  faintly  glimmered  in 
the  distant  horizon.     They  arose  in  the  midst  of  the  wide  extend- 


12 

ed  encampments  of  the  Arab,  the  Saracen  and  the  Moor,  where 
yet  glowed  the  unextinguished  embers  of  that  general  conflagra- 
tion, in  which  was  consumed  the  accumulated  wisdom  of  thirty 
centuries.  There  it  was,  that  the  lamps  of  literature,  science 
and  the  arts  were  reillumined.  At  Bagdad  and  Ispahan,  Bas- 
sora  and  Cairo,  Fez  and  Cordova,  were  again  reared  the  tem- 
ples, and  thither  thronged  the  devotees  of  intellect.  It  was  there 
the  revival  of  learning  commenced  and  gradually  spreading  over 
Southern  Europe,  the  progress   was  onward,  until  it  reached 

"  That  bleak  coast,  which 
Hears  the  German  ocean  roar, 

Whence  full-bloom'd,  strong. 
And  yellow  hair'd,  the  blue  ey'd  Saxon  came, 

then  with  him,  and  freedom,  and  Christianity,  ultimately  crossed 
the  broad  Atlantic,  and  in  conformity  to  prophetic  annunciation 
westward  still,  they  keep  their  glorious  course. 

During  the  ages  of  bloodshed,  desolation,  anarchy  and  barba- 
rism, which  succeeded  the  overthrow  of  the  Roman  Empire,  ag- 
riculture was  almost  wholly  abandoned,  and  pasturage  was  sub- 
stituted for  tillage.  The  earliest  efforts  for  its  restoration  was 
made  by  the  Moors  in  Spain,  and  was  there  carried  to  great 
perfection,  during  the  period  of  their  supremacy  in  that  kingdom. 
Remains  of  numerous  hydraulic  structures,  which  were  erected 
for  the  purposes  of  artificial  irrigation,  so  indispensable  in  that 
sultry  climate,  are  to  be  seen  in  several  parts  of  the  country, 
which  evince  the  intelligence  and  enterprise  of  the  Moorish  in- 
habitants. Some  of  the  most  learned  men  of  that  extraordinary 
race  also  wrote  able  works  on  husbandry,  which  are  still  pre- 
served in  the  royal  libraries  of  Madrid  :  but  after  the  impolitic 
expulsion  of  that  most  enlightened  and  industrious  portion  of 
the  population,  the  cultivation  of  the  earth  rapidly  declined,  and 
has  never  since  regained  its  former  consequence. 

The  Italian  States  early  adopted  the  agricultural  improve- 
ments which  had  been  introduced  into  Sicily  by  its  Saracenic 
conquerors.  The  Normans  and  Flemings  next  became  conspicu- 
ous for  their  advancement  in  husbandry ;  and  after  the  invasion  of 
Great  Britain  by  the  ambitious  sovereign  of  the  former,  numer- 
ous emigrants  from  both  of  those  nations,  soon  followed,  who 


13 

gave  such  a  powerful  impulse  to  rural  industry,  that  it  extended 
with  various  success,  over  the  whole  island,  where  it  has  finally 
reached  a  higher  state  of  perfection,  in  all  its  applications,  than 
in  any  other  country. 

Stimulated  by  the  favorable  results,  which  had  been  produced 
in  England,  most  of  the  continental  nations  were  induced  to  at- 
tempt like  ameliorations,  in  their  antiquated  and  very  imperfect 
modes  of  cultivation.  Scientific  experiments  and  practical  illus- 
trations in  the  renovated  art  of  tillage  were  made,  and  beneficial 
changes  gradually  effected,  so  far  as  the  character  of  the  soil, 
the  products  best  adapted  to  their  various  climates,  and  the  pecu- 
liar demands  of  other  branches  of  industry,  might  dictate  or  re- 
quire. This  spirit  of  improvement  has  continually  extended, 
wiih  varying  energy  and  advantage,  but  most  successfully  in 
portions  of  France,  Holland,  Belgium,  Germany  and  the  valley 
of  the  Po. 

Agricultural  institutions  were  very  generally  established,  for 
the  concentration  and  diffusion  of  information  in  all  the  depart- 
ments of  rural  economy,  either  by  the  voluntary  association  of 
the  affluent,  industrious  and  emulous  portions  of  the  community, 
or  in  conformity  to  express  laws  and  royal  edicts.  In  aid  of  these 
powerful  auxilliaries,  botanical  and  horticultural  societies,  and 
experimental  farms  and  gardens  were  rapidly  founded  from  Lon- 
don to  Naples,  and  from  Paris  to  Moscow. 

The  proceedings  of  these  numerous  treasuries  of  knowledge, 
and  seminaries  of  mutual  instruction,  being  published  in  the 
form  of  reports,  or  periodical  journals,  whatever  useful  discovery 
is  made  or  interesting  fact  announced  in  any  part  of  the  large 
region  included  within  the  circle  of  their  influence,  soon  becomes 
known  in  all  the  others.  In  addition  to  all  these  very  effective 
means  for  the  dissemination  of  intelligence,  funds  have  been 
provided  by  the  contributions  of  the  members  of  the  several  cor- 
porations, the  generous  bequests  of  individuals,  and  the  munifi- 
cence of  government,  for  the  encouragement  of  tillage  by  the 
distribution  of  rewards  and  premiums. 

From  England,  our  ancestors  brought  the  theory  and  prac- 
tice of  husbandry,  which  there  prevailed  at  the  period  of  their 
adventurous  expatriation  ;  but  the  progress  of  improvement  here, 
has  not  kepit  pace  with  that  of  the  parent  country.    Latterly  how- 


14 

ever,  honorable  and  very  successful  exertions  have  been  made 
to  awaken  a  more  zealous  spirit,  diffuse  greater  information  and 
create  a  better  taste  in  relation  to  a  subject  which  is  of  such  vital 
consequence  to  the  United  States,  where  at  least  eight  tenths 
of  the  inhabitants  are  actually  engaged  in  agricultural  pursuits, 
and  who,  besides  supplying  the  entire  alimentary  subsistence  of 
the  whole  population,  a  large  portion  of  the  clothing  and  other 
articles  of  comfort  and  luxury,  furnish  more  than  three  quarters 
of  the  native  products  of  exportation,  amounting  to  over  fifty 
millions  of  dollars. 

There  are  two  chief  modes,  in  which  improvements  are  effect- 
ed in  agriculture  :  one,  the  introduction  of  new  or  valuable  spe- 
cies, or  varieties  of  the  vegetable  and  animal  kingdoms,  and  the 
other  a  more  perfect  theory  in  the  science  and  a  better  applica- 
tion of  labor  to  the  art  in  all  their  diversified  compartments.  The 
latter  includes  the  requisite  implements,  as  well  as  the  manner 
in  which  every  kind  of  cultivation  is  to  be  conducted,  and  the 
great  object  of  both  is  to  obtain  the  largest  amount  of  products, 
which  the  earth  is  capable  of  being  made  to  yield,  by  the  most 
approved  management,  and  at  the  lowest  possible  expense. 

So  simple  and  common  are  these  positions,  so  self-evident  and 
familiar  are  they,  that  it  may  seem  irrelevent  as  the  utterance  of 
truisms  to  repeat  them.  They  were  early  proclaimed  by  Bacon, 
Tull  and  Evelyn,  and  have  been  emphatically  illustrated  by 
Coke,  Young,  Bakewell  and  Sinclair — names  which  will  ever 
be  illustrious  in  the  annals  of  agriculture.  Yet  how  little  have 
they  been  regarded  here,  and  how  few  among  all  those,  who  have 
spent  their  lives  in  cultivating  the  earth,  can  say,  that  they  have 
attempted  the  fulfilment  of  the  requisitions  implied,  although  so 
indispensable  to  their  own  advancement  Routine  has  been 
more  influential  than  precept,  and  custom  has  domineered  over 
truth  and  reason.  We  have  been  quiescent  pupils  in  the  obser- 
vance of  what  has  been,  rather  than  anxious  inquirers  of  what 
should  and  can  be  done.  The  mind  has  been  slavishly  restrain- 
ed by  prejudice,  erroneous  example,  and  that  dread  of  change, 
which  has  been  so  universal  and  so  fatal  to  the  improvement, 
rights,  dignity  and  happiness  of  man.  Something  more  then,  is 
required,  than  a  mere  knowledge  of  principles,  to  insure  their 
salutary  influence,  and  of  duty,  that  it  be  well  performed.     There 


15 

must  be  independence  of  thought,  and  freedom  of  action,  with 
an  energy  of  disposition  which  constantly  aims  at  improvement 
and  is  never  satisfied  until  it  is  reached.  And  where  are  we  to 
look  for  the  greatest  display  of  these  qualifications  ?  where  are 
they  most  certainly  induced  ?  Is  it  not  in  those  climates  which 
are  embraced  between  the  southern  and  northern  extremes  of 
the  temperate  zones,  and  in  those  localities  too,  where  the  soil  is 
not  naturally  the  most  remarkable  for  its  fertility,  or  the  physical 
conformation  of  its  area,  the  most  favorable  to  the  efforts  of  til- 
lage;  for  there  the  greatest  intelligence,  genius,  skill  and  in- 
dustry are  required  to  produce  the  desired  effects  ;  and  it  is  most 
common,  that  in  countries  where  these  difficulties  are  to  be 
encountered,  the  best  farmers  are  to  be  found,  and  the  most  in- 
structive, as  well  as  valuable  results  are  obtained.  This  arises 
from  the  constant  demand  of  expedients,  to  surmount  the  numer- 
ous obstacles  to  complete  success,  which  the  asperities  of  the 
soil,  the  rigor  of  the  climate  and  the  labor  of  fertilization  present; 
as  impediments  in  this,  as  in  all  other  pursuits,  have  a  direct 
tendency  to  challenge  enterprise  and  create  the  means  for  over- 
coming them.  Activity  is  thereby  given  to  talents,  ingenuity 
is  roused  and  that  determination  of  character  formed,  which  nei- 
ther admits  of  impossibilities,  yields  to  adverse  circumstances,  or 
halts  in  its  course,  until  the  object  sought  is  attained. 

But  there  never  has  been  anything  great  achieved  where  there 
were  not  difficulties  to  be  encountered.  It  is  thus  that  the 
noblest  faculties  of  the  mind  have  been  wrought  up  to  the  exer- 
cise of  their  highest  powers,  and  man  to  the  display  of  his 
immeasurable  resources.  Every  conception  of  an  important  truth 
is  accompanied  by  the  cheering  belief  of  witnessing  its  verifica- 
tion ;  and  the  triumph  over  obstructions  in  its  developement  is 
as  exhilarating  to  the  philosopher  and  artist,  as  victory  to  the 
warrior.  It  matters  not  what  is  the  exaggerated  magnitude  or 
apparent  insignificance  of  the  inquiry,  it  cannot  be  prosecuted 
with  any  prospect  of  success,  unless  there  is  an  ardent  disposi- 
tion, accompanied  by  that  indomitable  spirit  of  perseverance, 
which  puts  at  defiance  all  hazards  and  all  odds.  Whether  the 
object  of  accomplishment  or  investigation  be  the  construction  of 
a  Roman  aqueduct  or  the  stringing  of  a  lute,  the  geology  of 
the  globe  or  the   anatomy  of  a  beetle,  the  discovery  of  a  new 


16 

world  or  a  new  plant,  there  must  be  brought  into  vigorous  ac- 
tion the  highest  powers  of  intellect  and  the  most  zealous  deter- 
mination of  purpose.  There  is  nothing  valuable  to  man,  or 
honorable  to  nations  —  not  an  addition  has  been  made  to  the 
fund  of  intelligence  —  not  a  step  taken  in  the  progress  of  civil- 
ization, which  has  not  been  the  result  of  intense  thought  and 
infinite  research.  It  is  one  of  the  conditions  of  our  existence  — 
the  fiat  of  Omnipotence  —  that  to  attain  excellence  in  even  the 
humblest  vocation,  there  must  be  untiring  industry,  sanguine 
hopes,  and  great  labor.  What,  indeed,  were  we  but  for  that 
unquenchable  thirst  of  knowledge  which  no  acquisitions  can 
abate  —  that  restless  demand  for  action,  which  is  but  increased 
by  fruition,  and  that  aspiring  reach  of  imagination,  which  find- 
ing no  terrestrial  bounds,  ranges  from  the  farthest  constellation 
in  the  zodiac  to  the  realms  beyond  the  skies  —  to  an  existence 
as  illimitable  as  eternity,  and  an  elevation  transcendant  as  the 
archangels.  Were  we  not  thus  created,  and  so  endowed  with 
an  intuitive  credence  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  the  human 
race  must  have  remained  in  a  state  of  the  most  abject  ignorance 
and  degraded  barbarism.  It  is  the  inspiration  of  divinity  itself 
which  animates  and  urges  us  on,  in  the  interminable  career  of 
intellectual  attainments  and  moral  grandeur. 

What  is  the  biography  of  those  mi'ghty  men  who  have  illu- 
mined the  past  and  the  present,  and  thrown  forward  into  the 
obscurity  of  the  future  the  effulgence  of  their  glory?  Is  it  not 
the  record  of  genius  struggling  with  misfortune,  and  battling  with 
prejudice  and  ignorance,  to  evolve  some  momentous  fact,  estab- 
lish some  fundamental  principle  in  morals,  proclaim  some  inval- 
uable discovery  in  science,  or  perfect  some  brilliant  exper- 
iment in  art  ?  The  very  temerity  of  their  enterprise,  the 
cold  indifference  of  anticipated  patronage,  the  desponding  thral- 
dom of  penury,  and  that  unwearied  perseverance  which  knows 
not  despair,  are  the  alternate  subjects  of  our  praise  and  commis- 
eration. Our  admiration  is  constantly  excited  by  that  boldness 
of  mind  and  that  fearlessness  of  heart,  which  are  neither  smitten 
down  by  the  iron  mace  of  arbitrary  power,  the  withering  influ- 
ence of  fanatical  persecution,  or  the  discouragements  of  unre- 
quited merit ;  that,  ••  unaided,  unfriended  and  alone,"  they  rose 


17 

superior  to  the  storms  of  Ibrtune,  and  became  the  ornaments  of 
their  age  —  the  benefactors  of  mankind.  It  is  from  these  causes 
that  we  honor  the  names,  and  dwell  with  such  profound  interest 
upon  the  characters,  of  Galileo  and  Tasso,  Hampden  and  Mil- 
ton, Watt  and  Arkwright,  Rittenhouse  and  Fulton. 

Let  not  the  hardy  sons  of  New  England,  then,  doubt  of  suc- 
cess in  the  application  of  efficient  means  to  ameliorate  the  con- 
dition of  their  tillage,  either  from  the  rudeness  of  their  climate* 
or  the  less  favorable  character  of  their  soil,  compared  with  the 
fertile  savannahs  of  the  South  and  the  beautiful  prairie?  of  the 
West.  They  have  shown  what  the  Saxon  blood  can  achieve,  in 
the  battle-field  and  on  the  deep,  in  science  and  in  the  arts,  in 
commercial  adventure  and  mechanical  skill,  and  they  will  not 
incur  the  stigma  of  degeneracy,  by  failing  to  rival  their  own  lin- 
eage of  another  hemisphere,  in  that  pursuit  where  they  have 
attained  such  marked  distinction. 

It  should  be  recollected,  that  it  is  not  the  geographical  position 
or  sterility  of  our  inheritance,  which  have  thrown  us  in  the 
rear  of  other  nations ;  for  that  vast  and  favored  region  which 
lies  under  more  propitious  skies,  in  the  other  extremity  of  the 
Union,  is  not  in  advance  of  the  North. 

There  are  many  causes  which  have  retarded  agricultural 
improvements  throughout  the  United  States,  other  than  the 
natural  difficulties  which  are  to  be  encountered.  None,  how- 
ever, have  operated  more  unfavorably,  than  the  indifference  which 
has  too  generally  prevailed,  in  relation  to  the  subject,  but  more 
especially  among  those  who,  from  their  ample  means,  distin- 
guished attainments,  elevation  of  character  and  the  time 
which  they  might  devote  to  experimental  inquiry,  could  render 
such  essential  service,  both  by  their  practical  operations  and 
the  powerful  influence  of  their  example.  There  are,  it  is  true, 
illustrious  exceptions  to  this  lamentable  and  inexcusable  neglect, 
of  the  noblest  pursuit  in  which  man  can  be  engaged,  when  taken 
in  the  widest  scope  of  its  intellectual,  moral  and  physical 
influence. 

Strenuous  and  commendable  exertions  have  been  made  in 

many  of  the  States,  to  iaduce  a  better  disposition.     This  society 

bears  upon  its  roll  of  members,  the  names  of  individuals,  whose 

long  and  faithful  public  services  cannot  be  too  highly  appre- 

3 


18 

ciated,  whose  patriotic  ardor  has  experienced  no  retiring  ebb, 
and  whose  munificent  contributions,  lessons  of  instruction  and 
practical  labors  will  be  enduring  monuments  of  their  fame. 
Other  portions  of  the  republic  can  boast  of  like  benefactors. 
Still  there  is  much  to  be  done  ;  and  if  there  is  an  earnest  and 
generous  co-operation,  much  can  be  accomplished  by  individual 
enterprise,  numerous  and  active  associations,  and  governmental 
encouragement.  We  have  already  experienced,  in  this  State, 
the  beneficial  consequences  of  all  these  influences.  It  is  to  be 
traced  in  our  gardens,  orchards  and  fields  —  in  our  flocks  and 
herds,  our  farm-houses  and  villages,  from  the  bleak  shores  of 
the  ocean,  to  the  luxuriant  banks  of  the  Housatonic. 

Within  a  few  years  the  occupation  of  a  farmer  has  been  ele- 
vated in  general  estimation ;  a  residence  in  the  country  has 
become  more  desirable  among  those  who  have  accumulated  for- 
tunes in  other  pursuits,  and  a  taste  for  useful  and  ornamental 
culture  evinced,  which  are  full  of  promise  for  the  future.  But 
to  rival  other  nations,  there  must  be  a  more  thorough  change 
effected  in  public  opinion.  Here,  unfortunately  and  inexplica- 
bly, the  fashion  has  been  in  favor  of  congregating  in  large  towns 
and  cities,  as  well  among  such  as  have  been  reared  or  acquired 
fortunes  there,  as  those  who  were  born  and  reached  affluence  in 
the  interior  ;  while  in  England  the  reverse  has  been  the  univer- 
sal taste.  There  the  nobleman  and  commoner,  the  statesman, 
orator  and  poet,  the  generals  of  armies  and  the  admirals  of  fleets, 
the  merchant  and  manufacturer,  and  men  of  fortune  and  intelli- 
gence in  every  rank  and  station,  consider  the  country  not  merely 
the  most  desirable,  but  the  only  proper  residence  of  a  gentleman. 
It  is  in  fact  an  indispensable  prerequisite  to  the  assumption  of  that 
character,  and  obtaining  the  position  in  society  which  it  com- 
mands, while  the  towns  and  cities  are  deemed  but  as  temporary 
abodes,  or  as  the  places  where  means  may  be  acquired  by  such 
as  do  not  inherit  an  estate,  for  indulging,  at  some  future  period, 
in  the  comforts,  honors  and  luxuries  of  a  country  life.  It  is  to 
this  enlightened  sentiment  that  may  be  traced  all  that  there  is 
of  freedom  in  that  flourishing  empire.  It  was  in  consequence 
of  this  condition  of  society,  that  civil  liberty  was  there  so  early 
established,  and  has  been  so  gloriously  maintained,  while  it  has 
either  never  been  enioyed,  or  been  speedily  cloven  down,  in  all 


19 

the  other  portions  of  the  eastern  continent.  It  was  the  bold  and 
independent  land-holders,  who  compelled  the  tyrant  John  to  sign 
the  great  Charter  of  England  ;  and  they  have  stood  ever  since, 
in  the  midst  of  the  nation,  a  colossal  political  Janus  —  opposing 
with  stern  defiance  the  attempted  encroachments  of  the  monarch 
on  the  one  side,  and  restraining  the  licentiousness  of  the  stormy  . 
multitude  on  the  other  —  obliging  each  to  respect  the  Constitu- 
tion and  the  laws.  The  proprietors  of  the  soil  have  ever  prided 
themselves  in  participating  in  the  useful  avocations,  comforts, 
embellishments  and  amusements  of  a  country  life.  There  they 
expend  their  vast  incomes  in  a  manner  which  gives  the  greatest 
encouragement  to  rural  industry.  The  experiments  which  they 
have  made  in  field  cultivation,  for  improving  the  breeds  of  domes- 
tic animals,  extending  the  bounds  of  horticulture  and  ornamental 
planting  —  their  liberal  expenditures  in  the  erection  of  private 
and  public  edifices,  in  the  construction  of  roads  and  canals,  and 
their  generous  endeavors  to  alleviate  the  condition,  elevate  the 
character  and  promote  the  prosperity  and  happiness  of  all  class- 
es, in  their  multifarious  vocations,  and  to  advance  the  public 
weal,  have  had  a  powerful  tendency  to  excite  emulation,  and 
give  an  activity,  determination  and  elevation  of  character 
to  the  entire  population,  unprecedented  in  the  annals  of  the 
world.  There  we  behold  the  indispensable  and  useful,  studi- 
ously combined  with  the  ornamental,  from  the  barronial  estab- 
lishment, to  the  thatched-roof  cottage.  A  taste  universally  pre- 
vails for  giving  either  a  more  magnificent,  picturesque,  beautiful 
or  neat  appearance  to  every  estate,  while  the  necessary  and 
profitable  labors  receive  the  most  careful  consideration  and  exact 
attention.  The  refinements  of  the  arts  are  blended  with  all  the 
possible  comforts  of  each  habitation,  whether  it  rises,  in  anti- 
quated battlements,  from  the  heights  of  a  princely  domain,  or  is 
the  dearly  cherished  home  of  him,  who  is  but  the  tenant  out  of 
a  rood  of  land. 

What  more  interesting  inquiry  can  there  be  presented  to  the 
statesman,  than  the  intimate  connexion  which  exists,  between  the 
political  and  agricultural  histories  of  England.  Are  they  not 
striking  illustrations  of  the  reciprocal  influence  of  each,  upon 
the  character  and  condition  of  the  people,  in  their  domestic  and 
national  relations.  We  have  only  to  look  into  the  annals  of  the 
past  and  examine  the  present  condition  of  Great  Britain,  Spain 


20 

and  France,  for  a  full  solution  of  the  problem,  how  and  why  it 
is,  that  the  two  latter  are  so  far  in  the  rear  of  the  former,  in 
their  institutions  of  government,  and  the  general  aspect  of  the 
country. 

In  Spain,  the  rich  proprietors  of  the  soil  were  compelled  to 
live  at  Madrid,  from  an  apprehension  of  the  sovereign,  that 
their  residence  in  the  midst  of  their  numerous  tenants  would  be 
dangerous  to  his  power ;  and  the  disasterous  consequences  have 
been  despotism,  an  ignorant  and  impoverished  population,  and  an 
uncultivated  kingdom.  In  France,  especially  after  the  acces- 
sion of  Henry  IV.  to  the  throne,  if  the  nobles  were  not  required 
to  abandon  their  estates  to  the  management  of  the  peasantry, 
they  were  induced  to  concentre  round  the  court,  from,  the 
splendor  with  which  it  was  maintained,  the  prestiges  which  de- 
luded the  ambitious,  the  stations  which  were  conferred  on  many 
of  the  most  powerful,  and  the  hope  of  royal  favor  in  all.  If  the 
country  was  not  as  badly  cultivated,  as  that  beyond  the  Pyrennees, 
the  people  were  nearly  as  impoverished  and  degraded  in  char- 
acter. 

How  often  in  our  day,  have  we  seen  those  nations  convulsed 
by  revolution,  when  the  only  measure  required  for  producing  a 
change  of  government,  or  of  dynasty,  was  the  unfurling  a  new 
banner,  on  the  Palaco  Real,  or  the  Thuilleries.  Paris  and 
Madrid,  like  Rome,  when  in  the  plenitude  of  its  glory,  have 
each  become  the  state,  of  their  respective  kingdoms,  insolently 
uniting  the  prerogatives  of  the  senate  and  the  forum,  and  who- 
ever can  wield  the  physical  and  moral  power  of  either,  may 
dictate  law  to  all  the  other  provinces,  as  to  so  many  distant 
colonies. 

How  different  is  the  situation  of  Great  Britain.  The  tower 
may  be  stormed,  the  palace  of  St  James  razed  to  the  ground 
and  London  controlled  by  a  mob,  the  myrmidons  of  a  tyrant,  the 
army  of  an  usurper,  or  the  legions  of  invasion, —  still  England 
would  no  more  be  conquered,  or  its  government  subverted,  than 
by  the  destruction  of  Dover  castle  or  one  of  her  ships  of  the 
line.  Her  mighty  power  is  in  the  owners  and  cultivators  of  the 
soil,  scattered  broad  cast,  over  the  whole  surface  of  the  island, 
where  every  yeoman  is  a  champion  of  liberty,  and  every  house 
a  fortress.     There  the   whole    people    must   be  consulted  [^for 


21 

change  or  reformation,  and  every  gallant  Briton  must  be  cat 
down  in  battle,  or  subdued  by  overwhelming  numbers,  from 
Cornwall  to  Caithness,  before  the  government  can  be  abrogated, 
or  the  nation  yielded  up  to  foreign  conquest. 

Who  will  ask  the  cause  of  this  intense  attachment  to  their 
homes  and  firesides,  — of  this  lofty  and  ardent  patriotism,  when 
there  is  not  an  acre  of  land  in  England,  that  has  not  been  ren- 
dered famous  in  history,  or  dear  to  the  inhabitants  by  some  re- 
markable event,  some  deed  of  valor,  some  monument  of  art,  or 
some  developement  of  mind.  Every  hill-top  and  vale,  every 
forest,  grove  and  glade,  —  the  ocean  which  bathes  its  rock 
bpund  shores,  —  each  island,  river  and  stream,  each  sequestered 
dell  and  shaded  fountain,  — the  daily  life  and  evening  pastimes, 
from  prattling  childhood  to  hoary  age,  —  all,  all  are  embalmed 
in  the  traditions  of  England.  Her  literature  is  redolent  of  that 
captivating  scenery,  which  nature  and  art  have  rendered  so  ad- 
mirable ;  and  the  glorious  feats  of  war,  the  splendid  achieve- 
ments of  genius,  and  taste  in  peace,  —  with  the  names  of  her 
illustrious  men,  have  been  immortalized  by  her  gifted  bards, 
the  undying  echoes  of  whose  thousand  harps  are  yet  heard 
in  every  passing  breeze,  and  make  vocal,  even  the  desert  still- 
ness of  the  star-lit  night.  These  have  rendered  the  whole 
island  precious  in  the  sight  and  memory  of  Englishmen.  To 
them  it  is  indeed,  a  holy  land,  and  ere  it  can  become  the  prize 
of  conquest,  like  Jerusalem,  it  must  first  be  made  desolate. 

Knowing  what  has  been  the  salutary  influence,  in  one  nation, 
of  comingling  wealth,  intelligence  and  industry  over  the  entire 
surface  of  a  country,  should  we  not  hasten  to  follow  the  exam- 
ple. It  is  an  axiom  in  morals  as  well  as  physics,  that  well  au- 
thenticated facts  constitute  the  elements  of  those  theories,  by 
which  general  truths  are  evolved  and  principles  established. 
In  the  history  of  the  past  then,  we  should  behold  mirrored  the 
future  ;  and  if  it  is  not  reflected  with  that  distinctness  of  out- 
ine  and  accuracy  of  detail,  by  which  every  object  can  be  readily 
recognized, —  still,  the  shadowings  forth  are  so  palpable  to  the 
philosophic  eye,  that  they  are  confidently  proclaimed  as  ap- 
proaching realities  :  and  thus,  the  revelations  of  exalted  intelli- 
gence assume  the  imposing  character  of  prophecy,  when  in  truth 


22 

they  are  but  the  inductions  of  reason,  from  the  accumulated  facts 
of  ages. 

The  agricultural  resources  of  Massachusetts  are  not  inferior 
to  those  of  Great  Britain.  The  soil  is  naturally  as  fertile  and 
capable  of  being  rendered  as  productive.  All  the  cereal  grains, 
vegetables  and  fruits  there  raised  can  be  here  cultivated,  and 
the  latter  more  perfectly.  We  have  in  addition  maize,  one  of 
the  most  important,  if  not  the  greatest  staple  of  New  England, 
and  silk  is  being  successfaliy  introduced, — a  product,  which  is 
destined  to  be  of  as  nriuch  consequence  to  the  proprietors  of 
land,  as  that  of  their  flocks,  and  may  rival  the  vast  cotton  crop 
of  the  south  in  value.  Our  domestic  animals  if  not  now  gen- 
erally equal,  are  rapidly  becoming  so.  The  facilities  of  inter- 
communication, by  good  roads,  canals  and  rail-ways  are  increas- 
ing in  a  manner,  which  promise  especial  benefit  to  the  farmers 
of  the  interior.  Their  industry  will  be  encouraged,  their  pros- 
perity advanced,  and  a  more  cheering  aspect  be  given  to  large 
portions  of  territory,  which  have  been  unable  to  compete  with 
more  favored"  localities,  from  the  distance  of  a  market  and  the 
enormous  expense  of  transportation.  But  those  terestrial 
comets,  which  are  traversing  every  star  in  our  political  system, 
and  attract  the  gaze  of  the  astonished  world,  as  much  as  that, 
which  now  blazes  in  the  heavens,  will  have  an  influence  on 
national  prosperity  more  beneficial,  than  that  of  the  other,  was 
ever  deemed  baneful.  By  their  potent  agency  distance  has  be- 
come a  mere  technical  term  of  geographical  illustration,  and 
time  has  been  substituted  as  the  only  true  measure  of  the  space, 
by  which  places  are  separated,  as  well  as  that  which  divides 
events.  It  is  of  no  moment  what  are  the  ranges  of  mountains, 
extensive  plains,  vast  rivers  and  capacious  lakes,  whi9h  lie  be- 
tween the  emporium  of  demand  and  the  region  of  supply,  —  the 
steamboat  and  rail-roads  have  given  them  a  juxtaposition  of  ex- 
istence. 

The  tide  of  emigration  will  be  diminished,  in  proportion  as 
tiie  demand  for  labor  is  increased  ;  and  that  it  must  is  inevitable, 
when  every  water-fall  becomes  the  site  of  a  Lowell  and  a  Dover, 
which  it  requires  no  gift  of  prescience  to  announce,  will  be  real- 
ized at  no  very  distant  period.  Commerce,  navigation,  manu- 
factures  and  the  mechanical   arts  have  received  an  impulse. 


23 

throughout  the  north,  which  cannot  fail  to  be  experienced  in 
every  department  of  rural  economy.  Instead,  therefore  of 
seeking  employment  in  distant  regions,  the  sons  and  daughters  of 
New  England  will  rejoice  to  dwell  among  the  green  hills  of  their 
own  native  land,  where  repose  the  hallowed  ashes  of  their  ad- 
venturous ancestors.  If  it  should  be  urged  that  our  population 
is  even  now  too  dense  for  the  successful  enterprise  of  the  rising 
generation,  it  may  be  proper  to  inquire  what  number  of  inhabi- 
tants are  maintained,  on  the  soil,  in  other  and  not  more  favored 
portions  of  the  globe. 

In  England,  where  there  is  still  so  much  land  unsubdued  by 
cultivation  there  are  over  two  hundred  and  seventy  persons  to  the 
square  mile,  which  would  give  to  Massachusetts  rnore  than  two 
millions  of  inhabitants,  instead  of  the  six  hundred  thousand 
which  it  now  contains. 

By  a  census  of  the  Chinese  empire  taken  in  1813,  the  popu- 
lation, all  of  whom  are  subsisted  upon  the  products  of  their  own 
soil,  amounted  to  370,000,000 ;  but  enormous  as  it  seems,  the 
number  to  the  square  mile  is  not  so  great  as  in  England.  There 
are,  however,  large  provinces  whose  inhabitants  are  so  numerous 
that  they  average  four,  five  and  six  hundred  to  the  mile;  and 
there  is  one,  whose  area  is  nearly  five  times  that  of  this  state, 
which  has  seven  hundred  to  the  square  mile,  which  would  give 
us  5,460,000.  But  as  still  more  conclusive  evidence  of  how 
many  persons  can  be  supported  from  the  culture  of  the  soil 
alone,  there  is  an  island  on  the  eastern  coast  of  China,  which 
contains  only  one  thousand  square  miles,  being  less  than  a  sev- 
enth part  of  this  State,  which  has  a  population  of  400,000,  or 
400  to  a  square  mile.  There  is  not  a  town  upon  it,  the  inhabi- 
tants living  in  hamlets  and  single  houses  scattered  all  over  the 
surface,  and  the  only  articles  cultivated  are  rice,  cotton,  millet, 
and  culinary  vegetables. 

The  difference  between  the  number  of  inhabitants  to  the 
square  mile,  in  the  United  States  and  that  of  China  is  still  more 
striking,  as  in  the  former  there  are  only  six  while  in  the  latter 
there  are  268.  If,  therefore,  our  whole  country  should  be  as 
thickly  populated  the  census  would  be  589,600,000,  and  if  the 
increase  should  continue  in  the  ratio  which  it  has  done,  during 
the  last  forty  years,  it  would  require  only  125  for  this  vast  accu- 


24 

mulation,  a  period,  but  little  exceeding  twice  that  of  our  brief 
existance,  as  an  independent  nation. 

If  our  climate  is  as  congenial,  our  soil  as  teeming,  and  our 
skies  more  bright,  why  is  it  that  a  country  life  is  not  so  fervently 
desired, — so  much  the  theme  of  universal  disquisition,  and  so 
much  the  object  of  unqualified  admiration,  as  in  other  and  far 
less  propitious  lands  ?  Where  under  the  broad  heavens,  have 
been  more  lavishly  bestowed,  whatever  man  can  ask,  of  a 
benificent  Providence,  to  supply  his  wants,  administer  to  his 
comforts  and  insure  his  felicity? 

The  topographical  features  of  Massachusetts,  are  more  diver- 
sified, more  interesting,  and  can  be  more  speedily  and  perfectly 
embellished  by  cultivation,  than  even  the  northern  Hesperides. 
The  state  is  traversed  in  all  directions,  either  by  majestic  rivers 
or  copious  streams.  Lofty  mountains,  from  whose  rugged  fianks 
gush  forth  perennial  springs,  and  beautiful  hills,  clothed  with 
forests  to  their  very  summits,  give  grandeur  to  the  scenery ;  pic- 
turesque vallies  everywhere  invite  attention,  and  promise  as 
smiling  and  happy  aspects,  as  those  whose  loveliness  is  preserved 
in  Grecian  song ;  innumerable  lakes,  spangled  with  verdant 
islets,  and  floral  stars,  are  scattered  over  the  whole  area  of  our 
territory.  The  sea  coast  abounds  in  capacious  bays,  broad 
estuaries,  commanding  promontories,  and  beetling  cliffs ;  and  in 
addition  to  our  catalogue  of  superb  forest  trees,  there  is  a  profu- 
sion of  shrubs,  and  wild  flowers,  which  are  so  unrivalled  in 
variety  and  splendor,  that  they  constitute  some  of  the  most 
choice  collections  in  the  conservatories,  sumptuous  gardens  and 
rural  plantations  of  Europe. 

The  common  idea  associated  with  a  residence  in  the  country, 
is  that  of  profit,  — that  an  income  should  be  realized  from  all 
expenditures  there  made.  But  why,  it  may  be  asked,  make  this 
distinction  so  unfavorable  in  its  effects,  to  the  prosperity  and* 
improvement  of  the  country  ?  Are  the  magnificent  edifices, 
costly  furniture,  and  luxurious  indulgences  in  cities  and  large 
towns,  sources  of  income  ?  Are  they  not,  rather,  intended  to 
administer  to  the  comfort  and  gratify  the  taste  of  the  proprietors, 
without  any  regard  to  the  cost,  or  any  expectation  of  revenue  ? 
Why  then  should  it  be  urged,  that  such  investments  should  yield 
an  income,  because  the  location  is  on  the  borders  of  a  river  or 


25 

stream,  in  the  midst  of  a  forest,  or  embowered  in  some  secluded 
vale?  The  answer  is  difficult.  Yet,  on  the  other  hand,  it  can 
be  shown  that  a  less  extravagant  expenditure  in  the  country, 
will  produce  infinitely  more  interesting  and  imposing  results. 
It  is  not  in  buildings  that  money  should  be  expended.  The 
more  simple  and  neat  their  structure,  the  better  will  they  com- 
port with  our  laws  for  the  distribution  of  property ,,the  genius  of 
our  government,  and  the  habits  of  the  people.  Here  architect- 
ural taste  should  be  guided  by  economy.  It  is  in  the  improve- 
ment of  the  grounds  which  surround  the  establishment,  that  is 
so  much  required,  to  render  the  country  desirable  as  a  place  of 
residence.  Here  it  is  that  wealth  and  intelligence  and  taste 
can  do  so  much,  —  can  produce  such  striking  effects,  and  con- 
tribute more  to  the  enjoyment  of  life,  than  it  is  possible  to 
accomplish  in  the  midst  of  a  city,  even  by  the  lavish  expendi- 
tures of  a  Semiramis. 

Is  not  a  garden,  extensive  grounds,  umbrageous  walks,  ver- 
dant lawns,  and  sparkling  cascades,  quite  as  interesting  objects, 
as  the  massive  piles  of  brick  and  stone,  which  are  wedged  in 
continuous  ranges,  on  the  thronged  and  dusty  avenues  of  a 
metropolis.  Is  not  the  distant  landscape,  whether  radiant  in 
the  rich  and  various  tints  of  vernal  luxuriance,  or  clad  in  the 
gorgeous  draperies  of  autumn,  —  the  melodious  concert  of  the 
birds,  —  the  sunset  splendors  of  the  western  sky, —  the  con- 
genial serenity  of  summer's  bland  and  dewy  eve,  — 

The  breezy  call  of  incense-breathing  morn , 
The  cock's  shrill  clarion  and  the  echoing  hornj 

quite  as  elevating  to  the  mind,  soothing  to  the  soul,  and  conge- 
nial to  the  heart ;  as  sublime  and  inspiring  as  "  the  stir  of  the 
great  Babel,"  and  the  deafening  surge  of  that  living  deep,  which 
resounds  through  all  her  gates  ? 

Refinements  of  all  kinds  have  a  powerful  influence  in  ele- 
vating the  character  of  mankind,  by  enlarging  the  sphere  of 
observation,  curbing  the  out  breakings  of  the  passions,  fostering 
private  virtue,  and  improving  the  public  morals ;  and  to  pre- 
scribe the  line  of  demarcation,  within  which  taste  shall  be 
restrained,  is  as  preposterous  as  to  establish  the  limits  of  intel- 
lectual attainments.      Every  amolieration  which  has  been  made 


26 

from  the  rudest,  wildest,  and  most  savage  condition  of  the  hu- 
man race,  may,  with  as  much  propriety  be  denounced  as  super- 
fluous and  extravagant.     It  is  the  decree  of  omnipotence,  that 
nations  shall  advance  or  retrograde,  —  that  man  shall  rise  or 
fall,  from  every  point  of  time  in  his  existance.     But  there  is  a 
consideration  by  which  we  must  be  actuated,  in  whatever  we 
undertake,  far  above  the  attainment  of  the  object  sought.     The 
means  to  be  employed,  the  labor  bestowed,  the  excitement  pro- 
duced, is  of  infinitely  greater  consequence  than  the  advantage 
of  actual  achievement.     The  latter  is  temporary,  and  often  of 
little  moment,  while  the  former  are   of  universal  benefit  and 
abiding  influence.     There  are  results  of  mightier  import  than 
those  of  mere  acquisition,  which  are  to  be  sought  in  the  excite- 
ment, which  is  given  to  the  most  dignified   attributes  of  the 
mind  and   the  heart,   and  in   those  manifestations   of  genius, 
talent  and  enterprise,  which  the  study,  pursuit  and  exertion  un- 
fold.    Education,   instead  of  being  confined   in  its  scope  and 
duration,  is  thus  made  co-extensive  with  individual  existence, 
and  the  exalted   characters  which  are  formed  in  this  rigorous 
school  of  intellectual  discipline,  are  for  all  nations  and  all  time. 
There  is  a  moral  grandeur  in  their  lives,   which  render  them 
perpetual  examples  for  emulous  imitation,  and  the  salutary  effect 
on   the  human  race,  is  as  universal  as  the  admiration  in  which 
their  distinguished  benefactions  are  held.     Man  can  only  esti- 
mate his  own  natural  resources,  by  experiment.     We  know  not 
their  extent  or  efficiency,  until  placed  in  those  trying  exigencies, 
those  self-relying  positions,  where  they  become  indispensable  for 
immediate  extrication,  or  to  give  assurance  of  ultimate  success. 
It  is  from   repeated   trials  of  strength,  that  the  eagle   launches 
forth  upon  the  tempest,  from  the  lofty  eyry  of  the  mountain  cliff", 
with  the  fullest  confidence  in  the  sustaining  power  of  its  wing, 
in  the  longest,  highest  and  most  daring  flight. 

If  the  principles  which  have  been  assumed  are  founded  in 
truth,  and  the  facts  which  have  been  alleged  for  their  illustra- 
tion are  deserving  of  credit,  why  should  there  not  be  changes 
produced  here,  in  relation  to  a  subject,  in  which  every  citizen 
is  so  deeply  interested,  corresponding  with  those  which  have 
appeared  in  other  nations? 

May  we  not,  then,  confidently   hope,  that  at  no  very  distant 


27 


period,  the  taste  which  has  hitherto  so  unfortunately  prevailed, 
will  be  reversed,  and  the  country  become  the  admired  residence 
of  those,  who  are  most  able  to  improve  its  natural  features,  by 
the  assistance  of  the  arts.  There  it  is,  that  virtue  and  patriot- 
ism, benevolence  and  hospitality,  philosophy  and  religion,  inno- 
cence and  poetry  have  most  delighted  to  dwell.  It  was  on  the 
summits  of  mountains,  or  in  the  awe-inspiring  shadows  of  the 
deep  forest,  that  the  ancient  divinities  were  worshipped  ;  and 
how  much  more  appropriately  are  they  the  true  temples  of  the 
living  God ;  for  where  can  man  more  fitly  pour  out  his  aspira- 
tions and  present  the  offerings  of  gratitude  and  praise,  than 
when  standing  under  the  blue  vault  of  the  firmament,  amidst 
the  sublime  and  glorious  works  of  creation. 


